Residential and commercial air conditioners include as a part thereof a fan coil unit. The fan coil unit includes a coil through which coolant (liquid or gas) is pumped, and normally the coil is spaced above or seated in a condensation tray, condensation pan or convector tray in which condensation collects as air passes through the coil and condenses upon the exterior thereof in the air conditioning mode of operation. The condensate drips from the coil into the condensation pan and is conducted by an appropriate outlet(s) and pipe to a conventional drain.
Such condensation pans are generally made from galvanized metal and rust quite readily. Disadvantages of the latter and the manner in which the same are overcome through the construction of an in situ vacuum molded polymeric/copolymeric synthetic plastic material condensation pan are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,672 issued on Aug. 15, 1989 in the name of John T. Sullivan. However, though the condensation pan of the latter patent possesses many advantages, one disadvantage is the necessity of using numerous separate and removable fasteners/connectors, such as nuts, bolts and screws, to assemble and disassemble the condensation pan relative to the associated fan coil unit, its housing or a fan board thereof.
Additional novel and unobvious condensation pans are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,087 issued on Jan. 22, 1991 in the name of John T. Sullivan. The condensation pans of the latter patent are more readily installed within and removed from the fan coil unit through the sliding connections between the two. However, the sliding connections necessitate expensive molds for fabrication purposes which in turn necessitate increased cost of each condensation pan. Accordingly, the industry not only requires a condensation pan/tray which includes all of the advantages heretofore noted in the latter-identified patents, but such condensation pan must be cost-effective and price competitive.
Most recently a patent application has been filed on Sep. 16, 1991 under Ser. No. 07/760,538 in the name of John T. Sullivan entitled Fan Coil Unit with Novel Removable Condensation Pan, which includes a condensation pan having an elongated pan body having opposite sides terminating in a hook. The pan body is made from extruded material, such as polymeric/copolymeric resin, metal or the like, or it can be made from sheet metal. The hooks snap-secure the condensation pan to an associated fan board and a condensation tray/pan mounting board in the absence of conventional separate fasteners, such as nuts and/or bolts and/or screws. Thus, the latter construction allows the condensation pan to be readily assembled and disassembled in the absence of utilizing such tools as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches or the like, by merely removing a front wall of the fan coil unit and quickly unsnapping/snapping the condensation pan relative to the pan board and the condensation pan mounting board. In this manner the condensation pan can be readily removed from the fan coil unit for such purposes as inspection, repair and/or replacement. Obviously, such snap-securement in the absence of any type of added fastening means can be achieved in a relatively straightforward and rapid manner.
Reference is also made to the condensation pan disclosed in pending application Ser. No. 07/734,716 filed Jul. 23, 1991 in the name of John T. Sullivan, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,467, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,027, and which discloses a condensation pan formed as a hollow body defining one or more chambers. The chamber or chambers of the hollow condensation pan are either hollow or can be filled with insulation, and in either case thermal conductivity across the opposite surfaces of the condensation body is reduced to limit/lessen the formation of "sweat"/condensate.